'Ferdinand' Trailer: John Cena Gets Bullish

2017 has been a lackluster year for animated films. There have been one too many saccharine, soulless products like “The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature” and “Smurfs: The Lost Village” that insult their young target audience by assaulting them with condescending lessons about the importance of teamwork. Soon, kids will likely get more of the same from “Ferdinand,” which was directed by Carlos Saldanha (the “Ice Age” franchise) and stars John Cena as the voice of a kindly bull who learns the importance of playing nice with hedgehogs (or something).

“Ferdinand” is based on Munro Leaf‘s legendary 1936 children’s book “The Story of Ferdinand.” Illustrated by Robert Lawson, the book tells the story of a bull who would rather spend his days smelling flowers than fighting and inspired numerous speculations about a possible political undercurrent. Predictably, Ferdinand was pegged as a pacifist, but it has also been suggested that the iconic bull is actually an anarchist (now that idea sounds like the start of an intriguing movie).

None of those nuances seem likely to surface in “Ferdinand,” which is the latest film from Blue Sky Studios, who are best known for the aforementioned “Ice Age”series. But the film is opening on December 15th – the same day as “Star Wars: The Last Jedi – so it deserves some sympathy, given that it’s likely going to be clobbered at the box office by Kylo Ren’s triple-bladed lightsaber. Here’s the official synopsis:

FERDINAND tells the story of a giant bull with a big heart. After being mistaken for a dangerous beast, he is captured and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. Set in Spain, Ferdinand proves you can’t judge a bull by its cover.

From Blue Sky Studios and Carlos Saldanha, the director of “Rio” and inspired by the beloved book “The Story of Ferdinand” by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson, “Ferdinand” is a heartwarming animated comedy adventure with an all-star cast that includes John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Gina Rodriguez, Anthony Anderson and many more.